Sisi sworn in as Egypt president

Egyptian president-elect Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is sworn in at the Supreme Constitutional Court, in Cairo, capital of Egypt, on June 8, 2014. Former army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi was sworn in at the Supreme Constitutional Court as Egypt's new president on Sunday, nearly one year after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. (Xinhua)

CAIRO, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Former army chief Abdel-Fattah el- Sisi was sworn in at the Supreme Constitutional Court as Egypt's new president on Sunday, nearly one year after the ouster of Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi.

The 59-year-old Field Marshal defeated his rival leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahy in the three-day polls held in late May with 96.91 percent of the votes.

"I swear by God the Almighty that I will sincerely protect the republican order, fully respect the constitution and the rule of law, completely take care of people's interests, and preserve the nation's independence and the integrity of its lands," Sisi said in the inauguration ceremony.

Security forces sealed off routes leading to the court. Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the 2011 popular uprising that toppled long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak, was closed and declared off-limits.

The Egyptian government has declared Sunday a national holiday.

Hours after the inauguration, Sisi addressed a ceremony held at the northeast Ittihadiya presidential palace. He signed with outgoing President Adly Mansour a power transfer document, the first of its kind in the country's modern political history.

"For the first time, Egypt is witnessing a democratic and peaceful power transfer from a president to another," Sisi said.

The military strongman was enjoying a huge popularity across Egypt since the ouster of Morsi last July. However, Morsi's Islamist backers claimed the move as a "military coup."

More than 50 delegations topped by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Saudi Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdelaziz, the rulers of Kuwait and Bahrain and many other foreign dignitaries attended the ceremony.

The palace ceremony started with playing the national anthem and then Sisi received a guard of honor.

"We will make up what we have lost and we will establish a country with better future," Sisi said. He also expressed thanks to all the guests and gave a special praise to the Saudi Arabia, one of the most generous supporters to Egypt.

Most of the Gulf countries were throwing their weights behind Sisi after Morsi's ouster, pumping more than 13 billions U.S. dollars in aid to Egypt.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia described Sisi's victory as " historical" and he called for a donor conference to help Egypt revive its flagging economy.

Qatar, whose ruler sent a congratulatory message to Sisi on Sunday, is the only Gulf nation that supports Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, the oldest and most influential Islamist movement in Egypt.

Bucking the trend, Western countries were represented by low- level officials or envoys.

CAIRO, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's newly elected President Abdel- Fattah al-Sisi is expected to restructure the country's foreign policy with international and regional powers, leaning more towards the East and counting more on Gulf States in the first phase of his presidential term, say Egyptian experts.

Ex-military chief Sisi was officially announced as Egypt's president-elect on Tuesday evening by garnering about 97 percent of votes in the first presidential elections since he led the ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in response to mass protests. Full story

CAIRO, June 5 (Xinhua) -- As victory celebrations were reverberating throughout Egypt after former military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected president, analysts here worry about the possibility for him to revive an economy hammered by three years of continuous political turmoil.

Sisi will inherit an economy burdened with a high percentage of the population living under the poverty line, along with high illiteracy and unemployment rates, falling investments and declining tourism revenues. Full story

CAIRO, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Restoring security and paving the road for reconciliation with the banned Islamist Muslim Brotherhood represent major concerns of the citizens and key challenges for the Egyptian president-elect Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The new Egyptian president shoulders huge security challenges, terrorism, Islamist insurgents based mainly in the restive Sinai peninsula, and the violent protests which mounted after the ouster of his predecessor Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi in July. Full story